


Say The Word (And I'm There)

by LonelyThursday



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Abuse, Adoption, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Sexual Assault, Child Neglect, College, Date Rape Drug/Roofies, Established Relationship, Family, Foster Care, Found Family, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Multi, Murder, Musician!Remus, Musician!Virgil, Musicians, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Past Abuse, Running Away, Tags May Change, musician!Deceit, past trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:20:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21862735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LonelyThursday/pseuds/LonelyThursday
Summary: Roman's twin brother runs away at 15, and no one hears about him for 3 years, not until Roman's friend Talyn insists that he listen to a hot new band: The Dark SidesFor another two years, Roman tries to get in contact with his brother, but when a scandal involving all three band members breaks, it rocks the Prince family to the core
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil/Creativity | Roman/Logic | Logan/Morality | Patton, Creativity | Roman/Logic | Logan/Morality | Patton, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit Sanders
Comments: 87
Kudos: 292





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (this isn't as Creativity Twins heavy as the summary suggests, but it is pretty Roman heavy)  
I'm really into LAMP soulmate AUs right now
> 
> rating might go up later, but nothing will ever be explicit

Delilah Aberdeen, born July 17th, 1995, was nearly two by the time her soulmark, simply an uneven streak of lime green across her right shoulder blade, appeared.

Delilah was about three and a half when the streak formed words clear enough to be read.

_“Hello! My name is Remus Duke. Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to jump off of a skyscraper?”_

Dee was four when her mother started telling her that her soulmate was a wicked person, so she must be wicked too.

Dee was six when her father left. Her mother told her that it was her fault, that if she hadn’t been a wicked person, her father would have stayed.

Dee was seven when he asked his mother to call him her son.

Dee was seven when his mother tried to burn the house down with him inside.

Dee was eight when he finally got out of the hospital and started making the rounds through the foster care system. 

Dee was nine when he decided that he couldn’t trust anyone.

Dee was 11 when he decided to break that rule for a little six-year-old clutching a patched up old rabbit stuffie to his chest.

Dee was 12 when he started referring to the now-seven-year-old as his brother.

Dee was 14 when he decided that their last name would be Knight, once he was old enough to take care of his brother by himself.

Dee was 16 when he got his first job. 

Dee was 18 when he finally, legally, became Decan Knight.

Dee was 18 when he adopted his brother: Virgil Knight.

Dee was 19 when he saw a teenager who looked like he hadn’t showered in weeks and smelled like rotten garbage trying to talk to Virgil. 

Dee was 19 when he met his Remus Duke. 

** • • • **

Logan Crofter was born to a surrogate, on the 16th of October, 1996. Despite the use of a surrogate, he is still the biological son of both of his fathers, being made from his Papa’s sperm and his dad’s egg. 

Dietmar and Jack Crofter weren’t concerned that their son wasn’t born with any marks on his body, it just meant that Logan was older than his soulmate, and when, seven months later, a red mark appeared on Logan’s left forearm, just below his elbow, his dads both smiled. The mark was little more than a thick, blurry line, but as his soulmate learned to speak, the line would become clearer and clearer, until it finally became legible.

Of course there were cases where the line will never become legible. Cases like that often happen if the soulmate is mute, or for some other reason, either physical or mental, finds themselves unable to communicate through spoken word. There are also cases where one soulmate is born deaf and learns to speak later in life, which in turn means that their soulmate’s mark won’t become legible until later in life - sometimes not even becoming legible until after the couple has already met.

Fifteen months after the red mark appeared, a blue mark appeared right below it, the Crofters, however, weren’t concerned. While it’s significantly less probable for someone to have more than one soulmate, it’s not entirely impossible, or even unheard of. Dietmar had even known a polyamorous trio back in Germany, and Jack’s sister had both a romantic and a platonic soulmate, so it wasn’t as if they’d never come across such a thing.

The purple mark, however, had the Crofters truly fascinated. The mark appeared on Logan’s right arm instead of his left, like the first two. Though from what Jack could find when researching the topic, Logan having two marks appear in the same area was already an anomaly in of itself, but the fact that Logan appeared to have _three_ soulmates is practically unheard of.

By the time a purple mark appeared, almost two years after the blue one, both the blue and red marks had already become legible. The red one saying:

_“Oh, so it is. My apologies, but I do believe that we are soulmates!”_

And the blue one saying:

_“Whoops! Sorry there, kiddo, guess I need to get a better _handle_ on this situation.”_

Logan was old enough by the time the third mark appeared to understand that a new mark had appeared, and he was fully capable of reading by the time it became legible.

_“Shit! I mean fuck- um, no. Shit- I mean- sorry, I just- uh, I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here this early. Sorry.”_

It wasn’t the best thing for Logan to be reading at his age, but at least their son seemed to understand that such language was inappropriate, and refrained from repeating it unless the situation called for it.

Of course Jack didn’t approve of Logan’s classification system for deciding whether a situation _did_ or _did not _call for strong language, but Dietmar found it hilarious, and as Jack had failed to ever make his son understand that _no_ situation called for strong language, he’d decided to just let it go.

** • • • **

At 11:56 p.m. on May 7th, 1997, Sheryl Prince gave birth to a baby boy weighing 6 lbs. 7 ounces. Roman Prince was born with a smear of dark blue completely encircling his left ankle, but one day, it would solidify into the first words Roman’s soulmate would ever say to him. Sheryl and her soulmate, Diego, were ecstatic to know that their son would have someone out there to love him unconditionally. 

But Sheryl wasn’t done yet because 11 minutes later, at 12:07 a.m. on May 8th, she gave birth to another boy, this one weighing 5 lbs. 9 ounces. Remus Prince was born with dark yellow letters under his ribs spanning across his entire front (though as he grows, the words will take up less and less of his body). Unlike his twin, Remus’ soulmate was already able to speak, so his parents were able to read what their younger son’s soulmate will have to say to him. 

_“As charming as it is to meet you, Remus, you’re scaring my brother, so I’m going to have to ask you to take three steps back.”_

It was a bit strange, but it’s definitely not the worst. At least Remus didn’t have anything explicit on his skin. 

Sheryl and Diego loved their sons, and, despite not knowing them, they loved their son’s soulmates too. 

The dark blue smear on Roman’s ankle cleared into actual letter slowly, until finally, when the twins were almost two, the letters became clear enough for Sheryl and Diego to read. 

_“I believe the reason your combination is not working is because that is my locker.”_

It was a little bit of a shock when a light blue smear appeared around Roman’s left bicep when the twins were about 15 months old, but having two soulmates wasn’t entirely unheard of. Most likely, it would mean that Roman would have one romantic soulmate and one platonic soulmate, but it was also known to mean that one soulmate could die young, and the other would be forced to move on. Nowadays, however, it’s been growing more and more common for multiple soulmates to mean polyamorous relationships. 

The Princes hoped for either the first or third option, not wanting their firstborn to have to go through the pain of losing his soulmate, but when the words finally solidified 17 months later, it looked like the second option was more likely. 

_“OMG, I feel like I’ve been waiting so long to meet you!”_

If that wasn’t bad enough, just a month before the twins’ third birthday, a purple smear appeared on Roman’s left peck. Neither Sheryl, nor Diego had ever heard of a person having _three_ soulmates before, and as such, they decided against speculating on it. When Roman meets his soulmates, he’ll meet his soulmates, and everything will have happened exactly the way it’s meant to. However Roman comes across his soulmates, and however their relationship shaped out, Sheryl and Diego would love them just the same. 

That love was somewhat tested when the purple words actually took form. 

_“Shit! I mean fuck- um, no. Shit- I mean- sorry, I just- uh, I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here this early. Sorry.”_

Especially since they formed around the time Roman and Remus were learning to read. Having two excitable four-year-olds running around screaming “shit” and “fuck” was… not ideal. To say the least. And when they entered elementary school, it led to both twins being sent to the principal’s office at least once a month. But even so, the Princes loved the purple soulmate just the same, even if they _were _already a bad influence on both of their sons. 

** • • • **

In June, 1998, Beth Hart lost her husband. Her best friend. The light of her life. 

Her husband. 

Her John. 

Without him, her life was dark. 

But two months later, a new light emerged. 

Patton Hart was born on August 25th, 1998, and as soon as the doctors placed him in her arms, Beth could tell that she would burn the world down if he needed her to (or she’d try to at least).

Patton was born with two soulmarks. One of them, the red one, was not yet legible, and was curled around his right thigh. The other one, however, said:

_“I am not a ‘kiddo’, I am one year, ten months, nine days, three hours, and 27 minutes older than you.”_

Is sprawled across his stomach in a dark blue, helpfully telling Beth exactly how much older Patton’s oldest soulmate is. 

A few months later, the red one cleared up enough for her to read as well. 

_“I’m sorry about them, they can be real jerks. My name is Roman, what’s yours?”_

Patton became the new light of Beth’s life, and, even though he wasn’t able to speak yet, he became her new best friend. She thanked the Lord every day that her son was lucky enough to have two people that he will love with every fiber of his being, and will love him just as much in return. Beth firmly believed that it was this thankfulness that caused the Lord to bless her son with a third soulmate a year and a half after he was born. 

The purple mark trailed underneath Patton’s collar bone and took - what Beth believed to be - an inordinately long amount of time to clear into words. 

_“Shit! I mean fuck- um, no. Shit- I mean- sorry, I just- uh, I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here this early. Sorry.”_

Beth was appalled by the language and did her best to teach Patton that such words were very bad. She may not be able to teach her son’s youngest soulmate this until after they’d already said them, but she would be damned if her son went around repeating such foul language. 

Even so, she thanks the Lord for gifting her son three soulmates. Her little Pattoncakes deserves the world. 

** • • • **

Virgil was never sure when he was born. No one was. He was found in a community center in a small town when he was only a few months old. As far as anyone can figure, he was born around March or April in the year 2000. 

As far as Virgil knows, he’s always had three soulmarks, ever since he was born, though he could never be sure. But he does know that, for as long as he’s been aware of them, they’ve been legible. The red one that’s sprawled across his lower back like a tramp stamp (Dee’s words, not his) says:

_“Hey, excuse me?”_

The light blue one on his left hip says:

_“Sorry, kiddo! We didn’t mean to startle you.”_

And the dark blue one on the sole (heh, _soul)_ of his foot says:

_“Ah, it would appear that you are our final soulmate. My name is Logan.”_

Which, all together, has led Virgil to believe that his soulmates will all have already met when he meets them. 

He’ll be the odd one out. 

They won’t want him to come in and ruin their established dynamic. 

They’ll get rid of him. 

And why wouldn’t they? Everyone else had. Virgil had passed from house to house as a kid, no one ever wanted him to stick around. He’d been at the orphanage since he was a baby, and yet whenever someone learned that he had _three soulmates,_ they’d kick him to the curb as fast as they could. 

The only person who’d ever wanted to have Virgil around was Dee (and then later, Dee’s soulmate: Remus), but Dee is-

No, he isn’t going to think about that right now. He’s got to perform tonight; he can’t just spend the whole day crying. 

Virgil briefly considers calling his therapist - Emile Picani - but decides against it. He can deal with this on his own, it’s not even one of his _bad_ attacks, he doesn’t need to go bothering Emile on his day off. 

Sighing, Virgil grabs his guitar case and heads out the door. Sure he’ll get to the theater super early, but he’s found that quiet or abandoned theaters actually calm him, and he’d rather explore an empty theater than sit in a lifeless hotel room obsessing over soulmates and the past. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to write each section with a different style, so hopefully that worked out like I wanted it to  
Also, it's very important to me that you know that Virgil's rabbit is lavender with patches like his jacket


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update, I've got school and stuff (and I low-key forgot that I didn't post this already)  
and ADHD so I tend to jump between like five different WIPs

As a kid, Roman and Remus had always been getting on each other’s nerves; breaking each other’s toys, or stealing the other’s favorite shirt, or throwing the other’s homework into puddles… anything to bother the other really. Roman had always hated having a brother - and a _twin_ no less! But now…

Today is Remus’ 18th birthday (Roman’s was yesterday), and Roman isn’t able to celebrate with him. 

Roman didn’t see Remus today. 

Or yesterday. 

Or any day since Remus left. 

It’s been almost three years since Roman last saw his twin in person. 

He’s seen Remus in pictures and videos though. He knows what his twin’s up to. Almost _everyone_ knows what his twin’s up to. 

It all started three months ago. 

Well, no, actually it probably started on the last day of freshman year of high school. The last time Roman actually saw Remus in person. 

The day Remus ran away. 

But that’s not the point. Three months ago, Talyn had finally convinced Roman to listen to their new favorite band - The Dark Sides - that they’d _sworn _was going to be the next big thing. Roman had given the band a listen, they had been a little more emo than he usually listened to, but he’d had to admit that they were good, especially their song _Intrusive Thoughts. _

The only thing that had changed after that was that a). Roman had formally acknowledged to Talyn that The Dark Sides were, in fact, an excellent band, and b). he would recognize their songs when they were played on the radio. 

And that had been it. He’d known of The Dark Sides, but he hadn’t actively sought out any information about them, or even actively sought out their music. They just weren’t his thing. 

Until they were guests on the Thomas Sanders Show (an episode that Roman has yet to delete from his parents’ DVR). 

~~~

_Thomas Sanders hosts Patton and Roman’s favorite talk show - one of the most popular talk shows in the country, actually - so Roman knows that The Dark Sides are going to be on. He is moderately excited to see them, their music is pretty good, but he doesn’t know what any of them were like in person, or even what they _look_ like. _

_So on what had started as a regular Thursday in March, Roman, Patton, and Logan are sitting on the sectional in the Princes’ living room to watch the Thomas Sanders show. Roman’s mom is grading essays at the dining room table, and his dad is in the kitchen making dinner, so both are in easy earshot when Thomas announces that his next guests are The Dark Sides: Remus Duke, Decan Knight, and Virgil Knight. _

_No one reacts at first - why would they? They don’t recognize any of the names - but as soon as Remus “Duke” walks out, Roman’s jaw hits the floor. _

_There, on his own television is his own face - or rather, a face that looks identical to his own - smiling at the host and waving to the audience. _

_It takes Logan a little longer to recognize the face on the screen - which, due to the absurd amount of makeup on his twin’s face, Roman can’t blame him for - but as soon as he does, he lets out a quiet “oh.”_

_It isn’t until Remus actually speaks that Sheryl or Diego even pay the talk show any mind. _

“It’s great to be here, Thomas,” _Remus says. Both of Roman’s parents snap their gaze up to the TV immediately. Sheryl lets out a loud gasp, while Diego drops the knife he’s using to chop vegetables with a clatter. _

_And poor Patton, who had met Roman and Logan _long_ after Remus had run away, is stuck looking between the four of them in confusion. Sure, he’s noticed that the man on the show looks and sounds an awful lot like Roman, but he has no idea that Roman has a twin brother, so he has no way of knowing what’s going on. _

“I’m glad you could make it,” _Thomas says, obviously having no idea that his show has thrown a family in Florida for a massive loop. “Your debut, self-titled album, _The Dark Sides, _has been blowing up the charts the last couple of weeks.”_

_“What-“ Patton starts to say, before getting rudely shushed by all three Princes. _

_Patton looks to Logan, confused by the Princes’ reaction. Logan simply mouths “later,” and lifts an arm for Patton to cuddle into his side, an invitation which Patton readily accepts. _

“Yes,” _the man sitting between Remus and the third band member answers. Unlike Remus, who is dressed in a loud green suit, the man is wearing a simple yellow button up, black gloves, and black slacks with yellow converse hightops. The man is also wearing a black bowler hat, which almost completely covers his short, auburn locks, and has - what Roman hopes is makeup and not actual tattoos - green snake-like scales covering the left side of his face. _“It’s been a rather humbling experience, if I do say so myself.”

“Yeah!” _Remus interjects. Remus has dyed a lock of his chestnut hair white, which - in addition to the thin handlebar mustache, and dark eyeshadow - makes him _nearly_ unrecognizable as Roman’s twin… nearly. _“One minute we’re starving artists struggling to put out one album, and the next, we’ve got money coming out of our %&@#$!”

“Family TV,”_ the yellow-clad man - either Decan or Virgil - reminds him. _

“Oops! Sorry, Thomas.”

“Hey, no worries,” _the host dismisses cheerfully. _“It’s always good to keep our censors on their toes!”

“Unfortunately,” _the yellow-clad man says. _“With Remus, your censors will really be working for their pay.”

“I resent that!” _Remus yells, grin never leaving his face. _“It’s not like I go around saying %£@#&$€ &%$@ all day!”

_Thomas laughs. _“Well, speaking of being starving artists, I’ve heard that the three of you really haven’t been together as a band for that long - six months?”

“Has it only been six months?” _The yellow-clad man asks incredulously, letting out a fake chuckle. _“Sometimes it feels like it’s been years.”

“It’s impressive that you were not only able to put out an album that fast, but to also gain the popularity you've gained!” _Thomas praises. _“How did you do it so fast?”

“Oh Thomas, I can be very fast,”_ Remus says flirtatiously, causing the third band member - who has _got_ to be just a kid - who hasn’t spoken yet to let out a snort of laughter, and the host to go very red. _“But seriously, it’s true that I haven’t known Dee or Virgil for long, but I’ve been writing songs my whole life! And after months of trying to break into the music business on my own, fate quite literally brought these two to me, and I really couldn’t have asked for a better soulmate.”_ Remus sent the yellow-clad man a soft look, and the yellow-clad man twines their fingers together, returning the look. _

(Roman remembers how his heart had sank at the words. Remus had met his soulmate - just like he’d always dreamed - and Roman hadn’t been there to see it, or support his brother in any way.)

_The kid makes gagging noises as his band mates had gazed at each other, softly. The boy is dressed the most casually by far, being clad in artfully ripped black jeans, a gray shirt, and an oversized black jacket. Like the other two, he’s wearing makeup, though where Remus’ is dark and purposeful, and the yellow-clad man’s is artsy and detailed, the kid’s makeup is light smudges of eyeliner or eyeshadow make to look like bags under his eyes. _

(Later, Roman would learn that the kid was just shy of his 15th birthday, but at the time, he’d been sure the boy was like 12). 

“That’s so sweet!” _Thomas coos, ignoring the kid. _“You two are so cute together.”

“Oh yeah,” _the kid says sarcastically. _“They’re real cute. Until you live with them and see them being sappy all. The. Time.”

_Thomas laughs, and Remus’s soulmate looks vaguely annoyed (but only in that way that all siblings look annoyed when their siblings are roasting them). _“Quiet, Virgil,” _the man – must be Dee, then – says. _“The adults are talking.”

_Virgil sticks his tongue out childishly, and the man follows suit. Thomas and Remus both chuckle. _

_The camera goes to a close up of the two brothers, and a distant part of Roman’s mind catalogs that Virgil has heterochromia, with one eye being dark green, and the other looking almost purple; and Dee has one brown eye, and the other eye looks glassy and white. _

“Were you both interested in music and songwriting before you met Remus?” _Thomas asks in an attempt to get the interview back on the tracks. _

“Yes, actually,” _Dee replies, turning his attention back to their host. _“I was quite proficient at the guitar, and Virgil was already excellent at three instruments, and has since mastered a fourth.”

_Thomas’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. _“Wow, four instruments.”

“Dee’s exaggerating,” _Virgil mumbles burrowing into his hoodie in embarrassment._

“I assure you, I’m not.” _Dee says, dismissing his brother’s words with a wave of his hand. _“He can play drums, guitar, piano, and trumpet. One day, Virgil will realize he doesn’t need us, and when that day comes he will have quite the successful solo career.”

“I’ll always need you.” _Virgil says so quietly that his mic barely picks it up. The audience coos, and Thomas grins and addresses the camera. _

“Well that’s all the time we have, but stick around because after the break, The Dark Sides are going to play their hit single: _Intrusive Thoughts, _so stick around!”

_The audience’s cheers fade out as the commercials begin, but Roman is too stunned to hit fast forward. Two commercials play before Patton finally breaks the silence. _

_“What was that?” Everyone turns to him, but no one answers, so he goes on. “That guy looked just like Roman.”_

_Sheryl runs out of the room in tears, Diego following closely behind, though whether it’s to comfort his wife, or to cry in privacy, Patton isn’t sure. He watches them go before turning back to Roman, who looks close to tears as well._

_“Patton, my darling,” Roman starts dramatically. “There is something that I have not told you, and I believe it is long past due that I do.” Roman takes a steadying breath while Patton smiles at him in encouragement. “I have a twin brother. He ran away several months before I met you.”_

_“I’m sorry, Ro,” Patton reaches across Logan to squeeze his other soulmate’s hand. _

_"I don’t even know why he left,” Roman sobs, finally letting his tears go. _

_“Oh, Ro.” Patton removes himself from Logan’s side so he can give Roman a real hug. _

_Logan opens his mouth to add something, but the sound of applause from the TV cuts him off. _

“And now guys, gals, and non-binary pals, playing their hit single, _Intrusive Thoughts,_ The Dark Sides!” _Thomas announces, and the cheering grows louder for a moment. _

_The camera turns to the stage where Remus is clutching a mic on a stand, a bass guitar hanging from his neck. To his right is Dee, holding his guitar ready for the first chord, his own mic in front of him. Behind both of them is Virgil sitting at a drum set, sticks raised, ready to strike. _

_“Have you ever thought about killing your brother?” Remus starts, followed by Virgil setting down the beat on his drums. _

_Roman’s blood runs cold. He’s heard this song many times, but he’s never paid much attention to the lyrics. Does Remus want to kill him? Is that why he left? Does he hate Roman?_

~~~

Roman shakes the memories from his head. He could debate whether or not Remus hates him for hours - and he has - but he doesn’t have the energy today. 

He pulls up a word doc on his laptop, deciding to start his English essay to distract himself from Remus and The Dark Sides. It works for about twenty minutes, but then Roman can’t help but open his snapchat to watch The Dark Sides’ story. 

The first thing on their story is a memory from a week ago with the caption of _‘Happy Birthday to this loser’_ added to it. The video itself is of Remus in green and black pjs, dancing around what looks like a standard hotel room, singing into a hairbrush as if it were a microphone. 

_“~Everybody’s got a dark side, can you love me? Can love mine?~”_

At ‘can you love mine’, Remus jumps onto one of the two queen beds and wraps his arms around Virgil, who has been lying on the bed looking at his phone. Virgil looks shocked for a moment, before he realizes what happened and starts struggling, but Remus holds tight. Whoever’s holding the camera - probably Dee - is laughing. 

_“~Nobody’s a picture perfect, but we’re worth it. You know that we’re worth it!~”_

The next image is a self of Remus with Dee kissing his cheek, captioned with _‘Dee gives me birthday kisses! :D <3 <3 :3’_

The final image is a picture of Virgil sitting on a table looking at his phone. He’s got his phone in one hand, and is flipping the camera off with the other. _‘Vee won’t give me kisses :((((‘_

Roman closes his phone with a sigh. Remus clearly doesn’t miss him as much as he misses Remus. 

Forcing his attention back to his laptop, Roman adds a few more sentences to his essay. Graduation is in less than a month, and Logan would kill him if he didn’t graduate on time because he was too busy stalking his brother on social media.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so in the interview, Dee and Remus are dressed differently than they are in the Sanders Sides videos, and Virgil is dressed like he is pre-AA. During performances they're all dressed like the are in Sanders Sides (though Virgil still wears is pre-AA outfit, he just wears it all the time)  
Dee has snake make-up on the side of his face at all times because he's covering his burns, that's also why he wears gloves


	3. Chapter 2

“I’m going to miss you, Calculator Watch,” Roman laments, holding both of Logan’s hands in his own, trying to commit his face into his memory. 

Roman, Logan, and Patton are all at the airport where Logan and his dads will soon fly all the way to California to get Logan settled into his university. This coming semester is going to be the longest Logan has ever been away from either of his soulmates since meeting them, and it’s definitely going to be the most difficult challenge he’s ever faced. 

Though it’s going to be tough, they all decided that they should not put their dreams on hold for each other. Once they’ve graduated, they’ll have all the time in the world to be together, and in the meantime, they have holidays and summer break. 

“I will miss you as well, dearest.” Logan leans down slightly to press their foreheads together. Roman’s eyes slip shut as he drinks in the presence of his soulmate for the last time for several months. 

After a moment, Logan pulls back enough to allow Patton to worm his way into the middle of them. Patton does so enthusiastically, wrapping his arms around Logan’s waist and burying his head in the taller boy’s chest. 

“I’m gonna miss you too, Lo Lo,” Patton’s tears have already soaked through Logan’s shirt, but he doesn’t mind, just pulling Patton closer. 

“I will return for the winter holidays, my darling,” he assures gently as Roman wraps his arms around Logan’s shoulders to make a Patton sandwich. 

“I wish you would come back for Thanksgiving,” Patton mumbles into the soaked material of Logan’s shirt. 

“As do I,” Logan admits. “But it would be uneconomical for me to fly back to Florida for such a short amount of time, and I do not feel at ease using Roman’s parents’ money to make the trip.”

“They wouldn’t mind,” Roman assures quickly. 

“I know they would not, but I do not feel comfortable using your parents’ money for two flights in less than a week.”

“Logan!” Logan’s dad calls, having finished checking the trio’s bags with his husband. “It’s time to go.”

“Goodbye, Roman,” Logan places one hand on the side of Roman’s face, leaving the other wrapped around Patton’s shoulders, and leans in for a final goodbye kiss. 

“Bye, Logan,” Roman says sadly after they part. There are tears in his eyes, but he valiantly fights to keep them from falling. 

Logan drops his hand from Roman’s face and places it on Patton’s shoulder, pushing the shorter boy back so that he can clearly see his face. Patton whimpers at the distance, but doesn’t fight it. His face is red and blotchy from crying, and his glasses are askew from having his face mashed against Logan’s chest, but he’s still beautiful to Logan. 

“I will return before you know it, Patton,” Logan promises, leaning down to kiss Patton. “I promise.”

“Bye, Lo Lo.” As Logan steps away, Roman wraps his arms around Patton and rests his chin on the shorter boy’s head. 

Logan leans down to grab his duffle off of the ground before giving his soulmates one final farewell, with a promise to return for the winter holidays, then he turns and follows his dads to the TSA line. 

Roman and Patton continue to stand there until Logan is long gone before Roman finally sighs and releases Patton from his hold. “It’s time to go home, padre.”

Patton nods wordlessly, tears continuing to stream down his face. 

Roman pulls his boyfriend into another hug, pressing a gentle kiss to the shorter boy’s forehead. “He’ll be back, Sunshine.”

Patton nods against Roman’s chest before pulling back enough for the two of them to walk back to Roman’s car. 

~~~

As soon as he finds his seat on the plane - a window seat near the back of the plane with his papa in the middle next to him, and his dad in the aisle seat - Logan pulls out his headphone and scrolls through the playlists on his phone. He had intended to listen to a compilation of classical music, but instead, he finds his thumb hovering over a playlist titled ‘Roman and Patton’s Favorites’. Logan presses play and is immediately assaulted by the sound of one of Roman’s favorite show tunes. 

Logan takes his headphones off to listen to the safety presentation, but replaces them as soon as it’s over. As obnoxious as he normally finds the music, having some piece of his soulmates with him calms his nerves. Despite having seen them just an hour ago, he already misses them both terribly. 

As the plane takes off, Logan’s mind drifts back to the day he and Roman had first met, nearly six years prior. 

~~~

_Middle school should prove to be an interesting change for Logan. After years of being in boring classes that are tailored to the lowest common denominator among his classmates, he’ll finally be able to take classes specifically designed for those who want a more rigorous academic challenge. Another plus is that his peer group will no longer be comprised purely of the small pool of students his elementary school had offered. With five elementary schools coming together into one middle school, there are bound to be other kids that share Logan’s love of learning and astronomy. _

_With all this in mind, Logan enters the middle school on the first day with a hopeful and - dare he say - optimistic view on the coming day. _

_That outlook lasts up until lunch, when Logan goes to retrieve the lunch his papa had made him that morning from his locker, only to find a boy his age banging uselessly at aforementioned locker and aggressively jiggling the lock. _

_“C’mon you stupid thing! The combo worked earlier!” The boy - surely a seventh grader like Logan - is tall, taller than Logan at least, and has neatly styled chestnut curls that fly around wildly as he continues to bang on Logan’s locker. The boy drops his binder - a gaudy, red sparkly three-ring - on the floor as he uses both hands to jerk on the lock. “Why. Won’t. You. Open!”_

_“I believe the reason your combination is not working,” Logan interrupts tonelessly. “Is because that is my locker.”_

_The boy spins around to face him in shock. Dark brown eyes stare at Logan with some sort of emotion that the shorter boy cannot even hope to decipher. _

_He gapes at Logan long enough for him to become very uncomfortable. He’s just about to speak again, when the boy seems to shake himself out of his stupor. _

_“Oh, so it is,” the boy dawns a cocky grin. “My apologies, but I do believe that we are soulmates!”_

_“Oh.” Is all Logan can think to say. Of all the things he expected today, meeting one of his soulmates was not one of them, and he’s honestly not sure what to do next. _

_“I’m Roman,” the boy - Roman - holds his hand out, palm-up, as if he’s waiting for Logan to place his own hand on top, seemingly unperturbed by Logan’s awkwardness. _

_“Logan,” Logan replies eventually, hesitantly placing his hand on top of Roman’s, unsure whether or not that’s what he had wanted. _

_It evidently _is_ what he’d wanted, as he’s quick to bring Logan’s hand up to his mouth and place a delicate kiss upon Logan’s knuckles like he’s some sort of Disney prince. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Logan.”_

_“Yes, um,” Logan retracts his hand, and brings his other one up to push his glasses further up his nose - a nervous habit he’s acquired from his dad - as he blushes profusely. “The feeling is mutual, I assure you.”_

_Roman laughs - many people do when Logan talks like that, but he can tell that the taller boy isn’t doing it for any malicious reason, rather he is actually genuinely pleased by Logan’s response. _

_“Would you care to accompany me to lunch, my bespectacled prince? That is, once I find my own locker and get rid of this binder.” Roman bends down to retrieve the binder he had dropped. _

_“Yes, that sounds very acceptable.” Everything Roman does seems to only increase the amount of blood rushing to Logan’s face. In an attempt to ignore the blush, Logan maneuvers around Roman to open the locker Roman had been banging on, getting it open on the first try. _

_“Excellent!” Roman cheers, and proceeds to attempt to open the locker to Logan’s immediate right. _

_In the end, Roman ends up having to try seven different lockers before he finally finds his, but Logan - surprisingly - doesn’t mind. _

~~~

Logan sighs. He’s going to miss Roman. Not only his soulmate, but his first and oldest friend. 

The stewardesses bring around the drink cart, and Logan orders apple juice. Normally he would have had just water, but apple juice was Patton’s favorite drink. 

~~~

_Logan meets Patton Hart on the first day of his sophomore year of high school. _

_Logan is in the band room, warming up his clarinet by going over his scales when a short freshman with a very beat-up looking trombone case enters the room. Logan hopes the kid hadn’t been carrying the trombone around to all his classes, it’s a rather large instrument, and band is the last class of the day. _

_Logan shakes the freshman from his mind and focuses back on his warm-up, only to be startled out again moments later by a loud bang to his right. _

_The freshman trombone player is standing directly next to Logan’s chair, his trombone case is on the ground, but the freshman is still holding the handle. Clearly the case has seen too much, and has finally decided to disconnect itself from its handle. _

_The freshman stares at his case for a moment before meeting Logan’s dark blue eyes with his own sky blue ones and a sheepish grin. “Whoops! Sorry there, kiddo, guess I need to get a better _handle_ on this situation.”_

_Logan blinks, but recovers faster than the last time, partly because Roman had texted him earlier saying he had met their light blue soulmate. _

_“I am not a ‘kiddo’,” he objects. “I am one year, ten months, nine days, three hours, and 27 minutes older than you.”_

_The freshman’s eyes light up in glee, similar to how Roman’s do when he’s excited. “You must be Logan! I’m Patton!”_

_“Yes, Roman told me about you earlier,” Logan acknowledges. “If it is amenable to you, we can discuss further after class, I believe you and Roman exchanged phone numbers earlier, so you have a way to contact us if we become separated when the school day comes to a close.”_

_“Well I guess I’ll middle _C_ you after class then, kiddo!” Patton says, happy demeanor not at all dented by Logan’s curt way of speaking, before grabbing his case and skipping off to the back row where the upperclassmen trombones are already setting up. _

_When the school day ends, the two of them meet up with Roman, and the three of them become nearly inseparable. _

~~~

Logan spends the entire flight reminiscing on his relationship with two of his soulmates, but is shaken back to the present when the plane finally touches down. 

As nice as it is to live in the warmth of the past, Logan has a future ahead of him that will soon lead him back to his loves, but for now, university awaits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be about Patton and Roman, and the chapter after that will be about the Dark Sides
> 
> I really want to get into the LAMP stuff, but we have a while to go before we get there (at LEAST 5 chapters)


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's been so long since the last update, I'd like to say I'll have the next chapter up soon... but I can't promise that soooo
> 
> I made each of the boys on picrew and posted it on [my tumblr](https://i-am-bitterly-jittery.tumblr.com/post/616939001416466432/picrew-the-boys-specifically-for-say-the-word) if you want to see what they look like

“~I think I’ll tryyyy defyyyying graaavityyy~” Roman sings loudly and boisterously. “~kiss me goodbyyye I’m defyyying graaavityy~”

Patton tries to enjoy his soulmate’s singing, but he can’t seem to drown out the sadness in his heart. Logan left for California a couple weeks ago, and now Roman’s leaving for Boston. 

Well technically, Patton’s going with him to Boston, but he’ll only be with Roman for another week while he moves into his dorm, before taking a plane back to Florida. 

If only Logan and Roman didn’t both have to go so far away for college, or if Patton wasn’t still in high school, then he could stay in Boston with Roman, or go to California with Logan. He would still miss the other one terribly, but then he wouldn’t be all alone. 

Well not _all_ alone. He’ll have his mama, and his gran, but it’s not the same. 

Nothing is quite like being with his two loves. And with all three of them sharing the same purple words, there’s no chance that Patton will meet them while the others are away. 

Patton lets out a quiet sigh. Even if he could go with Logan or Roman, he wouldn’t. It wouldn’t be fair to his gran, if he left while her health is so poor, or to his mama, who had taken over his grandmère’s bakery just three years ago, and needs his help to keep things running smoothly. 

~~~

_At the end of eight grade, Patton’s grandmère died, and his gran didn’t take it very well. _

_Patton’s mama dropped _everything_ to go down to Florida and take care of her. _

_His teachers were understanding of the move, and either waved the final test for him, or gave him the class average. _

_Moving was hard. They had to juggle packing their things in Alabama, and taking care of his gran in Florida, but by the time Patton’s new school began in the fall, the Harts were fully moved down to Florida. _

_“Do you have your calculator?” His mama asks, slowly running out of things to ask her son if he had in his bag. _

_“Yep.” Patton knows the move and having to take over grandmère’s bakery have been stressful for his mama, so he made sure to check and double check his bag the night before to make sure he had everything. _

_“Are you sure you want to go to school in that?” His mama asks tentatively, gesturing to the flowy blue skirt he’s wearing. _

_“You know I have to be myself, mama,” Patton sighs. _

_“I know, baby, and you know I love you, but you’re going to a new school and…”_

_“That’s all the more reason for me to be myself!” Patton reasons. He gives a twirl, liking the way the skirt flares out around him._

_His mama sighs, but she gives him a proud smile. “So much like your father,” She murmurs, planting a kiss on his forehead. “Always being true to yourself. Now get going, you don’t want to be late on your first day”_

_Patton smiles the whole way to school. His father died before he was born, but his mama tells him about him often. He likes to think his father is smiling down on him from heaven, a guardian when he needs it most. _

_Today is one of those days. _

_His first few classes went well, he got some compliments on his skirt, a boy named Terrance in his math offered to show him to all the best hangouts over the weekend, and the person he ended up sitting next to in history had weaved a few little braids into his hair while the teacher had been busy trying to figure out the projector. His first day was going much better than he thought it would. _

_Until lunch. _

_Some meanies had started teasing him for wearing a skirt. Patton had tried talking to them, but they just got meaner, eventually building up to actually _shoving_ him. _

_It’s not until one particularly hard shove sends him to the ground, the contents of his backpack spilling out, and his glasses skittering away from him, that someone intervenes. _

_“Leave them alone!” Someone shouts at the bullies. They’re too far away for Patton to see anything but a vague blur without his glasses, but he’s pretty sure they’re wearing red. _

_“Or what, _your highness?” _One of the bullies asks, mockingly. _

_“Or I’ll tell the principal that Ryan was the one who started the fire in her office last year!”_

_“How’d you know that was me?” A different bully squawks incredulously. _

_“I didn’t,” Patton can’t see their face, but he can practically _hear_ the grin in his savior’s voice. _

_“Fuck you, Prince! C’mon guys, let’s go,” the first bully orders. _

_“I’m sorry about them,” his savior says, addressing Patton for the first time. “They can be real jerks,” they hold Patton’s glasses out to him, and offer him a hand up. “My name is Roman, what’s yours?”_

_“OMG,” Patton squeals, it’s not a perfect first meeting, but that hardly matters when his soulmate is standing _right there! _“I feel like I’ve been waiting so long to meet you!”_

_Roman’s face, which is possibly the most gorgeous thing Patton’s ever seen, lights up at the words. He grabs Patton’s hand gently in one of his own, and in a large, sweeping motion, bows low enough that his lips brush over Patton’s knuckles. _

_“And _I,_ my darling royalty, have been waiting so long to meet _you.”

_Patton giggles at the theatrics. “My name is Patton, he/him.”_

_“In that case,” Roman straightens up again and grabs Patton’s other hand. “It would be a great honor upon me, prince Patton, if you would accompany me to lunch.”_

_“The honor is all mine, prince Roman,” Patton giggles, blushing heavily under the attention. “But first I have to pick up my things.”_

_Patton gestures to the school supplies scatter over the ground, and Roman frowns, remembering how they got here in the first place. _

_“Of course!” Roman releases Patton’s hand and begins to gather the shorter boy’s things from the ground. “Allow me.”_

_“My knight in shining armor!” Patton giggles. _

_Patton spends the entire lunch period with Roman, listening to his stories about things he and their other soulmate - _their other soulmate! -_ get up to. Roman speaks very highly of Logan, and Patton becomes disappointed that he won’t be able to meet him until after school gets out. How is he supposed to focus in his next two classes when all he can think about is his inevitable meeting with his blue soulmate?_

_(Coincidentally, thinking about his next two classes reminds him that he forgot his trombone at home, so he sends a quick text to his mama, asking her if she or gran could bring his trombone to the main office before the end of fifth period.)_

_Patton also learns that he, Roman, and Logan all have the exact same purple words. _

_“Mama wasn’t happy when she saw bad words form, but she’s still excited to meet them,” Patton tells Roman, thinking about all the times his mama had impressed upon him not to speak so foully just because his soulmate did. _

_“Neither were my parents,” Roman says. “And they were especially unhappy that I felt the need to repeat those words often.”_

_Patton tries not to laugh, but the image of Roman as a toddler yelling ‘fuck’ is too funny. _

_The end of lunch comes way too quickly in Patton’s opinion, and he has to leave Roman, but not before the older boy makes a dramatic show of saying goodbye, even going as far as to kneel before Patton and kiss his hand, causing Patton to giggle in response. _

_Patton zones out for the entirety of English - it’s probably fine, everything the teacher said is probably on the syllabus, it’s only the first day. After English, he takes a quick detour to the office to grab his trombone, and then off to band. Band is his favorite class, so there’s an actual chance that he’ll pay attention… but probably not. _

_The door to the band room is in the front of the classroom, so he has to make his way past the woodwinds, but right after he passes the first row, his case does what it’s been threatening to do for the last two years: it breaks away from the handle. _

_The case hits the ground with a _thud, _startling several people close to the accident. Patton stares at the case, praying to God that his trombone isn’t injured, before looking up to see if anyone’s watching. The clarinet player on the end of the first row is staring at him, so Patton grins sheepishly. _

_“Whoops! Sorry there, kiddo, guess I need to get a better _handle_ on this situation.” Patton waves the broken handle that’s still in his hand around for emphasis. _

_The clarinet blinks once, before seeming to catch up with what had just happened “I am not a ‘kiddo’, I am one year, ten months, nine days, three hours, and 27 minutes older than you.”_

_Patton gasps. Apparently he won’t have to wait until after school to meet Logan! He’s right here! “You must be Logan! I’m Patton!”_

_“Yes,” Logan nods, he doesn’t look quite as excited at Patton, but there’s a certain look of fondness in his face that tells Patton that he is indeed feeling just the same. “Roman told me about you earlier. If it is amenable to you, we can discuss further after class, I believe you and Roman exchanged phone numbers earlier, so you have a way to contact us if we become separated when the school day comes to a close.”_

_It takes all of Patton’s self-control not to launch himself at his soulmate right there and then, but Logan is holding a nice clarinet that’s probably worth at least _twice_ as much as Patton’s beat-up third-hand trombone would go for. He settles for happy-jumping. _

_“I guess I’ll middle _C_ you after class then, kiddo!” Patton says as he leans down to grab his liberated trombone case, wrapping both arms around it and hugging it to his chest, and skipping off to the back row. _

_It’s hard to pay attention to the director after that, but Patton manages - at the very least so that he doesn’t end up getting called out by the director in front of Logan. _

_The director lets them pack up twenty minutes early so that the freshmen can get their instruments into cages, and to allow the sections to get to know each other. Patton waits for everyone else to grab an empty cage before he walks over to the back wall, unfortunately, that means that the only empty cage big enough for his trombone is on the very top row. _

_And Patton is rather short. _

Oh dear. 

_“Allow me,” a voice says, right behind him. _

_Patton jumps, but when he turns around, it's just Logan. The older boy is quite a bit taller than he had seemed when he was sitting down. He’s studying the wall of cages, and for a moment, Patton thinks he’s going to put Patton’s trombone in the top cage _for_ him, but to his surprise, Logan instead turns around and calls to a trumpet player who’s chatting with his friends a few feet away. _

_“Alex,” Logan calls. Alex looks up and makes his way over to them. Somehow, he’s managed to be even taller than Logan, and positively dwarfs Patton. “I was wondering if you might be inclined to switch cages with Patton here? The only available locker for him is on the top, and it is rather inconvenient for him as he cannot reach that high.”_

_Alex looks at Logan, then at the available cage, then at Patton. “Okay,” he shrugs. _

_“You really don’t have to,” Patton insists quickly, he doesn’t want the older boy to think he’s being selfish, but Alex just waves him off. _

_“I’m one of the only ones tall enough for these cages anyway.”_

_And just like that, he removes his trumpet from the middle row of cages, and places it with ease on the top row, leaving his old cage open for Patton to easily slide his trombone case inside. _

_“Thank you!” Alex responds with a simple thumbs up before returning to his friends. “And thank _you, _Logan. I thought you were just gonna put my trombone away for me.”_

_“That would not be practical,” Logan answers, adjusting his glasses. “It would be inconvenient for you to have to rely on me to get your instrument out every day, what if I were sick one day?”_

_Patton smiles, and this time he _does_ hug Logan. He’s so happy to have found two soulmates in one day. _

~~~

Patton lets out a louder sigh as he shakes the memory from his head. 

“What’s wrong my glorious prince?” Roman asks, turning the volume on the car’s stereo way down. “Do you not like this song? Or perhaps you need to get out and stretch your legs?”

A small smile creeps over Patton’s face, his handsome prince is so caring. “It’s nothing, Ro Ro, I’m just going to miss you.”

Roman frowns, quickly glancing in Patton’s direction before returning his eyes to the freeway ahead of him. 

“I will miss you as well, my love,” Roman takes his right hand off the wheel in order to hold on to Patton’s left. “But I shall visit as often as I can, and you can visit me as well, and we shall video call with the Microsoft Nerd every night. In fact, I was thinking, if you don’t mind spending thanksgiving away from your family, we could go down to Cali to visit him.”

“Really?” Patton’s whole demeanor instantly shifts at the thought of seeing Logan almost a whole month before he thought he would. 

“Of course!” Roman declares, spirits lifted. “We can surprise him.”

“That sounds wonderful, Roman.” Patton’s heart is still hurting, but Roman’s right, he’ll get to see his loves often, even if he can’t always hold them. 

They stay in a motel that night, Patton cuddles as close to Roman as he physically can, not wanting to waste any of their limited cuddle time before they have to be in separate states. Roman, of course, is more than willing to spend his night as a human teddy bear. 

The next day, they make it to Boston. 

And a week later, Patton is on a plane, by himself, back to Florida. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roman buys Patton a new trombone with an F trigger, and then doesn't understand why it makes Patton uncomfortable (it's because his boyfriend spending thousands of dollars on a gift for him makes him feel bad, Logan's the same way)


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> K so I'm leaving Deceit's name as 'Dee', but his middle name is Janus
> 
> Warning for implied past abuse

_Remus is digging through a dumpster again. He does this fairly regularly, after all, people often throw away perfectly good food, and Remus is _not_ about to spend his last five dollars on a sandwich if he can dig one out of the trash. _

Ah ha! Bingo!

_He’s found a half-eaten everything bagel, and whoever threw it away, wrapped it up first, protecting it from the worst of the dumpster. _

_Remus climbs out of the dumpster, prize in hand, and settles down on the curb to enjoy his feast and people watch. Several people pass, leaving a wide berth between them and Remus, but none of them really catch his interest, until… _

_There’s an absolutely _gorgeous _man across the street. The man has fascinating burns across one side of his face that trail down under his high-collared shirt, making Remus wonder exactly how far they go. He’s wearing a black bowler hat - that Remus would later refer to as Doris, after the evil bowler hat from Meet the Robinsons - a dark gray button-up, and bright yellow gloves, a combination that makes him look very much like a cheesy movie villain. _

_The man walks into the 7-Eleven directly across from Remus, leaving the kid he came with outside. Remus watches the kid pull out a pair of earbuds, stick the buds in his ears, and puts the end of the chord back into his pocket, unattached to anything, and lean against the side of the building near the door. _

_Remus stuffs the rest of the bagel in his mouth and runs across the street, heedless of traffic. _

_The screeching of tires and blaring of horns makes the kid look up. A car nearly hits Remus, but he manages to slide over the hood like in a movie. _

_“Hi!” He comes to a stop inches away from the kid, grinning like a madman. _

_“Um…” The kid looks more than a little shaken, either from Remus himself, or from the lengths Remus went to to cross the street, who could say which. _

_“Did you know that a cat always lands on its feet because the balance thingy in their ear is really good at orienting which way’s up,” Remus says, noticing the kid has black cat earrings in. “So they turn their head and their body just follows, allowing them to land on their feet!”_

_“Uh…” he yanks the earbuds out and stuff them back in his pocket, and backs away carefully. Remus doesn’t bother to follow, but he also remains undeterred, bouncing on his toes to keep from waving his hands around in excitement._

_“And cats can also fall from really high heights without injuring themselves because the terminal velocity of a cat is relatively low, and the whole landing-on-their-feet thing. I wonder how high up a cat can fall from and not die? Do you think they can survive a fall from a skyscraper?”_

_“Virgil?” Bowler hat guy is back, plastic shopping bag in hand. The kid - Virgil - runs over and hides behind him as if he were five instead of… well Remus doesn’t know how old the kid is, maybe twelve?_

_“Hello!” Remus bounds up to the man, disregarding the fact that the kid is clearly scared of him, and the fact that the man is glaring at him. “My name is Remus Duke. Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to jump off of a skyscraper?”_

_The man relaxes at Remus’ words, an odd reaction indeed, Remus is intrigued. _

_“As charming as it is to meet you, Remus,” he says. “You’re scaring my brother, so I’m going to have to ask you to take three steps back.”_

_Remus grins and does exactly what he’s asked. Who is he to disregard his soulmate’s wishes?_

~~~

“So are you guys going to the after party?” Tyler asks once they’ve finished their encore. It’s the first concert of The Dark Sides’ first headlining tour, and Tyler - the lead singer of their opening act, Raging Dumpster Fire - has been watching the show from offstage. 

“Yes, of _course,”_ Dee rolls his eyes as he packs away his guitar. “I was _definitely_ planning on bringing my underage brother to a glorified rave.”

“I wanna go!” Remus jumps up, waving his hand wildly. 

“But it’s a party for you guys!” Tyler protests, ignoring Remus. “C’mon, let the kid live a little. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“I could get murdered,” Virgil offers, causing Dee to scowl at him, and Tyler to look alarmed. 

“Uh, I don’t- I mean, I don’t think that’s, um,” he stutters, unused to Virgil’s dark sense of humor. 

“I wanna go!” Remus repeats. “Dee, can I go? Pretty pretty please with a dick on top?”

“You’re an adult, Re, you don’t need my permission,” Dee rolls his eyes before his expression softens. “You go have fun, Vee and I will have a movie night.”

“Yay!” Remus throws his arms around Dee and starts making out with him right there, in front of Virgil and Tyler. Virgil turns away and makes gagging noises. 

“You’re seriously not gonna go to your _own_ party?” Tyler asks, having recovered from his shock - he’s really not used to _any_ of The Dark Sides yet, and each one of them is a _lot_ to take in on their own, let alone all together. 

“Aww Dee and Vee aren't partiers,” Remus explains, pulling back from Dee before slinging an arm over Tyler’s shoulders and leading him away. “They’re a couple of old ladies trapped in the bodies of teenagers.”

“I’M TWEN- oh whatever,” Dee sighs, turning away from their retreating forms. “What do you want to watch?”

The brothers finish packing up their instruments before leaving them in the loading area for their team to pick up. They say goodbye to Joan on their way out and make their way to where their private chauffeur - _a private freaking chauffeur! _\- is waiting to drive them to their hotel. 

Headlining their own tour gives them certain perks they didn’t have when they were opening for other people, one of which being their hotel room. Gone are the days of sleeping in dirty motels and sub-par hotels, now they get their own suite in _upscale_ hotels. Even in the apartment Dee and Virgil lived in before they met Remus had been a studio, but this hotel room, right here, has _two_ bedrooms, _both_ separate from the living/dining area. 

It’s certainly a luxury that Virgil could get used to. He loves Dee, but having his own room for the first time in his life? It’s a magical experience, even if it _is_ just a hotel room. 

Tonight, however, has them both watching pay-per-view movies in Virgil’s room. Dee’s in the en-suite, trying to remove all the green makeup from the side of his face. It had taken Virgil mere seconds to remove the eyeliner and foundation that served as his stage makeup, so now he’s sitting on the queen sized bed, scrolling through Tumblr. 

“As much as I love this new brand of stage makeup,” Dee calls from the bathroom. “I hate how hard it is to remove.”

Virgil glances up from his phone to find his brother in the doorway, gone are the beautiful and intricate scales he paints onto the burned half of his face before performances and public appearances. Instead, it’s one big green smear covering the entirety of his face. 

And Virgil can’t help but crack up. (And maybe he covertly takes a picture too, but it’s not like he’s going to show it to anyone except Remus… and maybe Joan).

“Ha _ha, _very funny,” Dee deadpans. “Now help me get this _off!”_

It takes another twenty minutes, but they eventually remove at least enough of the makeup to keep Dee from looking like some sort of swamp monster. They call that good enough, and settle onto the bed for a cheesy old horror movies marathon. 

As much as he’s trying not to think about it, Virgil knows why they’re watching movies in _his _room. Neither of them have ever seen Remus drunk, and since he’s gone to the after party, there’s a good chance he’ll be more than a little inebriated when he gets back… 

It’s not that either of them are afraid of Remus - well not usually, anyway - but they’re both well aware that alcohol has the tendency to... change people. They’d both been burned too many times - literally in Dee’s case - to not automatically expect the worst. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst, as the saying goes. 

“Hey, Dee?” Virgil asks as the credits start rolling on the first movie. He’s half asleep on Dee’s shoulder, but still awake enough to be only minorly slurring his words. “Wha’ d’ you see?”

“Hmm?” Dee glances down at his brother in confusion before realizing what he’s asking. “Oh, well,” he covers his good eye with one hand, and takes a dramatic pause. “I see Remus regretting going to that party tomorrow morning when Joan wakes us up way too early, and I see us having to suffer his whining all day.”

“Bu’ nothin’ too bad?” 

“No,” Dee replies, brushing Virgil’s bangs back. “Nothing too bad. Go to sleep, Virge, we’ve had a long day.”

“Mmm.” He’s asleep before the credits end.

~~~

_“Hey Dee, why is your eye funny?” Virgil asks one day, about a month into knowing each other. _

_“What’s wrong with brown?” Dee replies immediately, smirking slightly. _

_Virgil giggles, Dee joins in. _

_“It’s because this eye sees the future,” Dee responds once his laughter finally subsides, pointing to his blind eye. _

_“Really!?” Virgil asks excitedly. _

_“Yes,” Dee answers with a fond smile. _

_“Prove it!”_

_“Well right now, I can see that you will soon be attacked by the tickle monster.”_

_“What’s a tickle monster?” Virgil asks with wide, unsuspecting eyes. Dee smirks at his confusion. _

_“This is!” He yells as he dives in to tickle Virgil mercilessly. _

_Virgil screams and laughs as he struggles against Dee’s fingers for several minutes before their foster mother comes to yell at them for being too loud, but even after that, Virgil has a hard time keeping giggles from falling out of his mouth. _

_Dee holds him for the rest of the night, and neither of them really stop smiling. _

_~~~_

_“Do you still see the future?” Virgil asks about a year later, when he and Dee happen to both end up in the same home. _

_“Of course.” Dee answers solemnly. _

_There isn’t any laughter this time. Virgil’s been hiding under his bed for four hours, and Dee’s been lying on the floor waiting patiently for him to come out. _

_“What do you see?” _

_Dee remains silent, staring at the ceiling while he thinks. _

_“I see you, getting adopted by a nice, loving family,” the then 12-year-old replies eventually. _

_“Will you be there?” Virgil asks as he creeps closer to the edge of the bed._

_“I’m your brother aren’t I?” Dee asks instead of actually answering, he refuses to make any promises to Virgil that he can’t keep. Eventually, someone will see past all the details that make Virgil seem off-putting to people - the three soulmates, the mismatched eyes, the table manners of feral wolf - and when that happens, Dee sure as hell isn't going to stand in the way. _

_Virgil nods - accepting this answer - and fully climbs out from under the bed to cuddle into Dee’s side. _

_“It’ll be okay, Virge.”_

_Dee holds him that night as well, but neither of them are smiling. _

_~~~_

_“Guess you can’t see the future after all,” Virgil comments as soon as he and Dee get settled into their new home, a cheap studio apartment, just the two of them. _

_The 18-year-old raises an eyebrow at the comment. “Why’s that?”_

_“I didn’t get adopted by a loving family,” Virgil answers simply. “I got adopted by you.”_

_“Are you saying you think I don’t love you? Because I promise that I do.”_

_“Oh…” Virgil hadn’t thought of that. “I love you, too.”_

_That was the end of the discussion, but Virgil and Dee are both smiling for the rest of the day. _

~~~

Virgil is startled awake sometime later to the hotel suite door slamming shut. 

“Whoops! I’m sorry Mr. Door!” He can hear Remus whisper-yelling to the door. 

He just about drifts back to sleep, but Dee shifts out from under him. 

“Hmm?” Virgil cracks his eyes open just enough to see Dee’s silhouette sitting up on bed. 

“Shh, go back to sleep, Virge,” Dee whispers. “I’ll go take care of Remus.”

_“Deeeee!” _Remus whines somewhere outside Virgil’s bedroom. “Where are you? I need cuddles!”

Dee stands and makes his way to the door, but before he gets there, it’s opened, and the lights flicked on. 

“Dee!” Remus yells happily, launching himself at his soulmate and knocking them both into the wall. Virgil groans at the sudden brightness and buries his face into the pillows. 

“Hello Remus,” Dee greets calmly, even though he’s freaking out a little on the inside. “How was the party?”

“‘S fun, an’ Tyler gave me sooo much booze, an’ I’ve never _had _boozes before!” Remus slurs, hanging off Dee’s shoulder as he struggles to stand by himself. “Bwas disgusting!” He adds in a stage whisper.

“Well, you don’t have to have any more if you don’t want to,” Dee offers, doing his best to usher Remus towards the door. “Now let’s go to bed, shall we?”

“Okaaaaaaaay,” Remus stumbles on his way out, tripping and falling onto Virgil’s bed, causing the younger teen to shoot up in shock. “Virgil!” He gasps, absolutely delighted. 

Suddenly much more coordinated than before, Remus grabs Virgil’s arms and yanks him off the bed so he’s standing, facing Remus. Remus places his hand on either of Virgil’s shoulders and gives him the most serious look Virgil’s ever seen on Remus. Dee hovers over Remus’ shoulder, unsure what to do, but prepared for things to go south. 

Remus continues to stare seriously at Virgil, and the teen begins to fidget under the scrutiny. After a full minute of this silent standoff, Remus finally speaks. 

“Virgil,” he says slowly. 

“Um, yeah?” 

“Viiiiirgil.”

“Remus?”

Remus stares at him for a moment longer, and then…

“You should dye your hair purple,” Remus says, his tone completely serious. 

“I- what?” Virgil glances past Remus to see if Dee is understanding this any better than him, but his brother only shrugs helplessly. 

“You would look _sooo_ good with purple hair,” Remus continues. “It would fit your whole angsty aesthetic, _and_ Dee and I already _have_ signature colors, so you need one too. Black doesn’t count, we all wear black.”

“I’ll, um, I’ll th-think about it?” Virgil says, more of a question than anything. 

Remus nods solemnly. “Good.” Then he drops his serious air and spins around to face plant into Dee’s chest. “‘M tired, Dee Dee.”

“Alright,” Dee says slowly, carding one hand through his soulmate’s hair. He and Virgil have a brief, nonverbal conversation, and then he turns his attention back to Remus. “Well why don’t we go to bed then?”

“Hmm,” instead of answering, Remus wraps himself more fully around Dee, shoving his face in his soulmate’s neck, and effectively preventing Dee from moving. “I like seeing you without makeup,” he mumbles. “Your scars ‘s pretty.”

“Okay, Re, but I’m going to need you to loosen up a little if we’re going to make it back to our room.”

“Noooooo, sleep here.” Remus whines. 

“Rem- oof!” Remus shifts his weight to make both him and Dee topple onto the bed. 

“Sleep here,” he declares happily, nuzzling against Dee’s hair. 

Dee sighs. “Virge?”

“Guess I’ll go sleep in your room then,” Virgil smirks. Before he leaves he pulls out a bottle of painkillers from his bag and leaves them on the bedside table. “For the hangover.”

“Nighty night, Vee Vee!” Remus calls after him as he flicks the lights off and exits the room. 

“G’night, Re, Dee,” Virgil says, pulling the bedroom door shut. He brings his arms over his head, causing cracks to reverberate down his spine, and shuffles into the empty bedroom, ready to fall asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to be clear, Remus is not abusive, and neither Dee nor Virgil are afraid of him, they were just a little wary about how he'll handle his alcohol  
(also if you can't tell, I love these boys so much)


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooo... it's been five months since the last chapter... sorry  
But here's a new one! XP

At precisely 4:45 pm on a Friday afternoon during his second month into his first semester at college, Logan sits down at his desk and opens his laptop to prepare for his weekly Skype date with his soulmates. They have a deal to video chat every Friday at 8:00 pm eastern/5:00 pm pacific, unless someone has a valid reason that they can’t, in which case the call is moved to Saturday morning at 11:00 am eastern/8:00 am pacific (a time that Logan’s roommate had claimed was ‘inhumane’ and ‘against the Geneva convention’). 

But there are no conflicts this week, so Friday night it is. 

Logan always likes to prepare early, so he sets his laptop up, makes sure his video camera is working, and tests his audio. Usually, he uses whatever time he has leftover to check his email, but today, his roommate happens to return to their room as soon as he’s finished his microphone check. 

“Hey babe,” Remy greets as soon as the door is open. “Ooh are you Skyping the soulmates? Can I meet them?”

It’s not that Logan doesn’t want Remy to meet Patton and Roman - Remy is probably the best friend Logan has ever had that isn’t one of his soulmates, and Logan knows that he would get along excellently with his two known soulmates - it’s just that every Friday night, without fail, Remy has plans. What those plans are, Logan doesn’t know, Remy changes his story every time he’s asked. Sometimes it’s band practice, or a frat party, or a DND campaign, or going to the gym, and it’s not just that Remy is doing something different each week, Remy literally changes his story every time, even if he’s asked multiple times in the same week, it’s always a different story. 

“Of course you may,” Logan answers. 

“Yes!” Remy cheers as he drags his chair over the Logan’s desk. “Meetin’ the soulmates, hopin’ they’re cute!”

Logan rolls his eyes. “You’ve seen pictures of Roman and Patton, you _know _they’re cute.”

“Lo, babe, pics can be deceiving,” Remy answers just as Roman’s face appears on the screen. 

“Logan, my love! I have missed you!” Roman declares loudly, as he does at the beginning of every Skype call they have. Honestly, Logan’s just glad he wasn’t wearing his headphones this time so that his more boisterous boyfriend isn’t yelling directly into his ear. 

“I take it back,” Remy amends. “He is even cuter than his pic. Helllooo Logan’s hot boyfriend.”

“Greetings!” Roman laughs, never one to resist a complement. “You must be Logan’s ever elusive roommate.”

“You know it, gurl.” Remy takes a sip from a Starbucks cup that Logan would have _sworn_ he didn’t have when he entered the room. “The name’s Remy, he/him or they/them.”

“Where is Patton? He is not usually late for these calls.” Logan asks. 

“Alas! I do not know of our dear puffball’s location, but I have already sent him a text!”

Logan opens his mouth to respond, but cuts himself off when Patton’s face appears alongside Roman’s on the computer screen. 

“I’m so sorry I’m late!” Patton says. Logan feels some tension he hasn’t even noticed leak out of his shoulders, it’s nice to see his soulmates, even if it’s only over Skype. “I was mopping the floor and I guess time just _slipped_ my mind!”

“Was that a _pun?” _Logan demands at the same time Roman says “it’s alright padre.”

Patton giggles at them. Logan isn’t mad of course, at this point he’s resigned himself to Patton’s love of wordplay. 

“Aww he's too cute for this world, I might have to kill him, babe,” Remy says, effectively drawing attention back to him. 

“If you maliciously touch a hair on his head I shall run you through with my perfectly manicured sword!” Roman says, causing Patton to giggle some more. 

“Now Roman, be nice,” he scolds gently. “Hello! I’m Patton, he/him.”

“Hi Patton, I’m Remy, Logan’s awesomely cool roommate,” Logan rolls his eyes. “He/him or they/them.”

“It’s so nice to meet you!” Patton chirps. “Logan talks about you all the time!”

“No I don’t,” Logan lies quickly, Remy’s head can’t stand to get much bigger, and Logan refuses to be the reason his roommate has back problems. 

“Aww, babe! I tell all my friends about you too, don’t feel bad,” Remy drapes himself over Logan’s back in an approximation of a hug. “Okay,” he says suddenly as he stands, and grabs his leather jacket from on top of his bed. “Super cute soulmates, Lo, ten out of ten would hit that, I gotta go, Leah and I are gonna rob a bank, later babes!”

And just like that, Remy is out the door. 

“Is he really going to rob a bank?” Patton asks, concerned. 

“I doubt it,” Logan says, though he’ll never be able to be completely certain. “And I do not believe he knows anyone named ‘Leah’, certainly not well enough to commit a crime with them in any case.”

“Your roommate’s a strange guy, Pocket Protector,” Roman says, Logan just shrugs, it’s not like any of them are what you could call ‘exceedingly normal’. 

“How are you guys?” Patton asks, changing the subject. “It’s been so long since we’ve talked!”

“Patton, we text nearly nonstop,” Logan points out. 

“I know, but this is like a deep dive into how everyone is doing! I’ll start: I’m alright, but not having you guys here makes me really sad, school isn’t as much fun without you guys, but Mom’s bakery is really rolling in the dough, and she’s even hired me as a part-time baker-slash-cake decorator!”

“That’s wonderful, Patton!” Roman cheers. 

“I am glad that you have found a way to get paid while participating in your favorite activity,” Logan says, smiling. 

“Thanks guys! And getting to see you two is really the icing on the cake!” Patton beams, Logan refrains from rolling his eyes. “Okay, Logan, you go now!”

“Ah, well,” Logan takes a moment to consider what to tell them about his college experience. “The academic rigor of college courses is much more satisfactory than what was offered in high school.”

He ignores the “*cough cough* nerd *cough*” from Roman. 

“And I do enjoy being able to tailor my schedule in a way that proves most productive for me. Actually my astronomy professor has alerted me of an opportunity to work as her research assistant next semester. It is a position that would offer me a great deal of practical experience which would enhance my future resume after I have graduated.”

“So you’re saying,” Patton says with a sly smile. “The benefits of this job would be… astronomical?”

“Well yes, I suppose- Wait was that a pun?”

Patton giggles. 

_“Patton!”_

“I know, Lo, your love of puns is... _infinitesimal_.”

“THAT WAS ONE TIME!”

“Okaaaaaay,” Roman interjects. “Looks like it’s my turn in the sharing circle. Well, I too, am about to have an amazing opportunity! Next month is auditions for my school’s winter musical, and I am obviously more than qualified to play the handsome princely lead.”

“Well no matter what happens, kiddo, you’ll _always_ be my prince!” 

“Objectively speaking, your chances of being cast as a lead despite being a freshman are very good. Objectively.”

“Thanks guys, I love you both.” Roman says, fighting back tears. 

“I love you both as well,” Logan replies 

“I love you, three!” Patton bursts, before pulling the collar of his shirt and addressing the words written there. “And I love _you, _Purple, I hope we meet you soon!”

~~~

Logan stares out the window at all the students making their way home for thanksgiving and sighs dejectedly. 

“Gurl, stop looking so sad,” Remy chides as they too, pack up to go home for the holiday. “It’s bumming me out.”

“I am sorry, Remy, it’s just that this is my first thanksgiving away from my parents, and from Roman and Patton since I met them. I suppose I am just feeling lonely.”

“Well-” a chime from Remy’s phone cuts them off, and they check the notification before continuing. “Ha! I’ve got something that’ll make you feel better. Wait here, I’ll be right back!”

Logan watches them go with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. His roommate is extremely unpredictable and it’s just as likely that Remy is going to bring him his favorite tea as it is that they’re going to bring a stray cat that they found. The only thing Logan is sure of, is that he will enjoy whatever Remy brings him to some extent. One of Remy’s many talents is knowing whether or not Logan will enjoy something. 

“Close your eyes!” Remy yells from the hallway a minute later. 

Logan rolls his eyes, but does as his roommate commands. 

“Are they closed?” Remy asks, sounding much closer. “Good. Okay, give me a sec, aaaaaaand… okay open!”

Logan opens his eyes and almost immediately begins tearing up. 

“Surprise!”

Patton and Roman are in his dorm room! Patton and Roman are in California!

“Hi Lolo!” Patton beams. 

“Greetings, my love!” Roman booms. 

“Oh,” Logan says, unable to say or do anything else, his brain has completely short circuited. 

“You like it babe?” Remy asks smugly. 

_“Yes,” _Logan chokes out, full on crying now. 

“Oh!” Patton hurries to Logan’s side and Logan immediately latches on to him. Roman approaches more slowly, engulfing both his boyfriends in a tight hug. “It’s okay, Logan, we’re here.”

“Babes,” Remy says, ruining the moment. “You’re going to give me diabetes being as sweet as you are.”

“Thank you, Remy,” Logan says, removing his face from Patton’s shoulder. “This is the best surprise ever. I thought I was going to be alone this weekend.”

“Oh Gurl, I would never let you spend this weekend alone. I was about to invite you to come to my Grammy’s house with me when these two called to ask me to help them surprise you. The invitation is still open by the way, you three are more than welcome to come to thanksgiving. Grammy loves feeding people.”

“That does sound better than eating pizza in our hotel room,” Roman admits. 

“Your plan for thanksgiving was pizza?” Logan asks, incredulously. Roman is excellent at planning dates, surprises, and romantic gestures. Pizza in a hotel room is not as thought out as his plans usually are. 

“Gurl, that’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard. Alexa, play Despacito.”

Despacito starts playing over Remy’s little speaker, startling Patton and Roman. 

“You really have an Alexa?” Roman asks. 

“They bought one so that they could play Despacito on command,” Logan informs them. 

“Babe!” Remy cries. “Don’t give away all my secrets!”

“I was unaware that this was a secret, Remy,” Logan says, fighting a smirk. Of course he knew it was a secret. 

“Traitor. Okay, well I actually have to go, babes.” Remy grabs their packed bags and heads for the door. “Call me if you’re coming to dinner! We’d love to have you! Bye!”

“Goodbye, Remy,” Logan calls after them, before turning back to his soulmates. “You guys didn’t have to come; I would have been fine by myself.”

“We wanted to!” Patton insists, latching onto Logan once more. “I missed you so much, Lolo.”

“Yeah, Nerd! Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without you!” Roman agrees wholeheartedly. 

“Well I am quite happy you’re here,” Logan says as he attempts to begin to pack a bag while Patton is still firmly latched on to him. “But what about your families?”

“Thanksgiving was just going to be Mama, Gran, and me, and since that’s how we usually are anyway, it wasn’t too big a deal to come visit you instead!” Patton answers, letting Logan go in order to help him pack. 

“I saw my parents last weekend,” Roman says, choosing to snoop through Remy’s things rather than help his soulmates pack. “Plus I think they’re having a fight anyway.”

“Oh?” Logan pauses his packing. He’s never known Diego and Sheryl Prince to have a fight, or at least not one major enough to make Roman uncomfortable, they’d definitely fought over petty things like what color to paint the foyer, and which gardener to hire. Things had been tense after Remus ran away, but it never turned into a big fight. “What are they fighting about?”

“I dunno,” Roman admits. “I’m not even sure they’re fighting, but they were both very surprised to see each other when they came to visit me last weekend. Like they hadn’t known the other one was coming.”

“Well, uh…” Patton flounders as he tries to come up with something positive to say. “Maybe they, um, maybe they both wanted to surprise you?”

“But they both called me to tell me they were coming. I just thought they were doing that parent thing where they both tell you the same thing cuz they didn’t realize the other one told you… I dunno, maybe I’m reading too much into it.”

“It is perfectly reasonable for soulmates or other couples to fight. I am sure it will get resolved soon,” Logan says, he’s trying for ‘comforting’, but he’s not sure how close he’s getting. He’s only witnessed his own fathers have one fight that would qualify as ‘major’, and it had been when his oma and opa had stayed in their house for several weeks when he was ten. Having his in-laws unexpectedly staying in his house for such a long time had worn Jack down to his last nerve, and Dietmar, though tired of his mother’s constant criticisms, had taken any little word against his parents as a personal attack. The conflict had ended with Logan bursting into tears, worried that his parents were going to get divorced, at which point Jack and Dietmar had decided to start seeing a couples’ counselor to improve their communication skills and help prevent similar fights from breaking out in the future. 

His fathers still see their counselor once a month, even though they haven’t had any major fights since. Sometimes telling an unbiased third party about your problems can help you view them through a more objective lens. 

“Yeah, I’m sure you’re right,” Roman agrees, though his tone isn’t particularly confident. “I just don’t like it.”

“I’m sure it will be okay, kiddo,” Patton says, wrapping his arms around Roman’s waist. “Now, let’s enjoy being together for the weekend!”

~~~

Flying up to Boston for the weekend so close to the end of his final semester as an undergrad is not particularly high on the list of things Logan wants to do, but it _is_ pretty high on the list of things he doesn’t want to do, but definitely will for his soulmates. His spring break had ended the previous weekend, but unfortunately, Roman’s spring play doesn’t debut until _this_ weekend, so here Logan is, back in Boston after just a week of being in California to catch opening night. 

Most people would need more than three years to complete Logan’s double major in astronomy and physics, but Logan isn’t most people. As much as he’s enjoyed his time in California and living with Remy — whom Logan is honestly shocked he isn't platonic soulmates with given how close the two have gotten — he’s ready to attend grad school a little closer to his soulmates. His chosen grad school is just a little way outside of Boston, close enough that he can move into the apartment Roman and Patton have been sharing for nearly a year. 

After Patton’s gran died, his mama had insisted that he ought to be out living with his soulmates, rather than stay in Florida just to take care of her. It had taken a little convincing, but Patton eventually agreed to move in with Roman, and it definitely helped that he’d applied to — and gotten into — a culinary school in Boston. Of course Patton still insists on helping his mama with the bakery every time he’s in town, but she’s been more than capable of keeping the place afloat without him. 

“Lolo!” Patton shouts across the airport, waving his hand in the air as if Logan wouldn’t notice him otherwise. Though to be fair, at five-foot five, Patton could get lost in a crowd fairly easily. “I missed you!”

He nearly tackles Logan into a hug. 

“Patton, it has only been five days since we last saw each other,” Logan points out with an amused huff even as he hugs back. 

“I always miss you when you’re gone!” Patton pouts adorably, tilting his head to look up at Logan with big, sad eyes. 

Logan can’t resist chuckling as he leans down to peck Patton on the lips. “It will only be a few more weeks, love. Then we can love the rest of our lives in domestic bliss if we so choose.”

“We still need to find Purple,” Patton reminds him, as if Logan would ever forget. “But I can’t wait for you to move in with me and Roman!”

“‘Roman and me’,” Logan corrects automatically as he and Patton begin walking out of the airport. 

“No, I’m pretty sure I’m the one who lives with Roman,” Patton answers. Logan rolls his eyes, but chooses not to comment on the pun. 

“Will we be able to get to the theater in time?” He asks instead. 

“Yeah! Roman’s parents are already here and they’re going to drive us.” Logan nods. Despite having a months-long rough patch a few years ago (a rough patch that Roman never found out the reason behind), Roman’s parents’ relationship seems just as strong as ever. 

The Princes meet them at pickup in a rental car. “Hello, Logan. How was your flight?” Sheryl asks as the two slide into the backseat. 

“It was pleasant enough,” Logan responds. Of course he would have preferred if the flight was shorter — especially so he wouldn’t have had to miss almost a full day of classes — but obviously that would be impossible. 

“I wish you would let us set you up in first class, Logan,” Diego sighs. “It’s so much nicer than economy class.”

“That is very kind of you, but you have done so much for me already, and I would feel more comfortable paying for my own plane tickets.”

“Logan, you’re family! We’re happy to help with whatever you need,” Sheryl insists. 

Logan smiles politely and allows the subject to drop. Roman usually understands where he's coming from when he insists on paying for things himself, but his parents can be far pushier, and it’s usually best to just smile and nod. 

Patton gives Logan’s hand a sympathetic squeeze. Patton understands where Logan is coming from. They both want to be able to do things for themselves and not just have their rich boyfriend’s family take care of it. 

“Did you only bring one bag, Logan?” Sheryl asks a few minutes later, having turned around to see Logan with just his backpack sitting in his lap. 

“I did, as I am only going to be here for two nights, and I have pajamas at Patton and Roman’s apartment, I thought it prudent to pack as lightly as possible.” In his backpack is his laptop, a notebook, his pencil pouch, a toiletries bag, three pairs of underwear, one pair of pants, three pairs of socks, and two shirts. He figures that he can get anything else he might need from Patton and Roman’s apartment or from a store. 

“You know you’re allowed a carry-on as well as a personal item,” Diego says. 

“I am aware, but there is not enough room in the cabin for everyone to bring a carry-on, and I did not require one, so I did not bring one,” Logan answers. He doesn’t see why they keep bringing it up, it’s perfectly normal to bring the bare minimum on a weekend trip, especially when you’re going to someone’s home and not just to a hotel. 

The Princes fall silent after that, a sort of ‘agree to disagree’ kind of thing. Instead, Patton fills the rest of the drive with absolutely everything that’s happened to him since Logan left on Sunday morning. 

They get to the theater with plenty of time before the play starts, so Patton drags Logan backstage to wish Roman luck (well, ‘break a leg’ at least) before they join Diego and Sheryl in the audience. 

Everyone in the theater knows Patton by now, so it’s no problem for them to slip into Roman’s dressing room. 

“Hi, Roro!” Patton bursts as Logan closes the door behind them. 

“Hello, Roman.”

“Ah! Padre, Calculator Watch! It is wonderful to see your beautiful faces,” Roman gushes. “I’d kiss you, but I’m already in makeup.”

“That’s alright, Roman! We’re just stopped by to wish you lu-”

Logan quickly presses a hand over Patton’s mouth to cut him off, knowing how touchy Roman gets about people wishing him ‘luck’ on opening night. “Break a leg, Roman. Though please refrain from actually breaking either of your legs or any other bone in your body.” 

“Thank you, Logan, I’ll try to keep my bones intact.” Logan nods, satisfied with this answer. 

There’s a knock on the door. “Roman!” Someone falls through the wood. “Five minutes to curtain!”

“Thank you, Angelo!” Roman calls back before turning back to his soulmates. “You two should get back to your seats. I’ll see you after the play.”

“Okay! Bye Roman!” Logan and Patton leave to find Roman’s parents who have no doubt saved seats for them. 

The play is wonderful. Roman is magnificent as always. 

After the play, Logan and Patton wait for Roman by the backstage door, Logan isn’t sure where the Princes went, but he’s sure they’re not too far. They’re only waiting for a few minutes before Logan receives a text from Remy. 

** _Remington: _ ** _Babe 0.o_

They send a link along with the message, and Logan wastes no time in opening it. 

The link takes him to a fairly reputable news site. 

_Oh. _

_Oh no. _

The headline reads: **REMUS DUKE ARRESTED FOR MURDER — KNIGHT BROTHERS RUSHED TO URGENT CARE**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry to everyone who was hoping for more Dark Sides fluff to come, there will not be any :/
> 
> I don't really like this chapter. I mean I like what I've written, but I don't like the scene changes or the three year time jump, but I had stuff that had to happen in order for the story to move forward, and I didn't want it to take more than 1 chapter
> 
> Hopefully I'll update soon now that I've gotten to the main conflict (and I'll definitely go over what happened in the next chapter)  
And definitely let me know if there's anything I need to tag and haven't
> 
> Wear a Mask  
Don't be Stupid  
Take Care of Your Mental Health  
VOTE!! It's deeply Important  
I'm Proud of You


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On the bright side, you all got a new chapter after less than two weeks!  
Unfortunately...
> 
> Disclaimer that I didn't do a whole lot to look into what the correct legal proceedings would be here, so those parts might not be too accurate, but also I don't think I really care soooo
> 
> Trigger Warnings: implied attempted sexual assult, non-consensual drugging, murder (nothing graphic), blood mentioned   
(let me know if I forgot anything)

It’s dark when he wakes up, but that doesn’t mean much, the lights are off and he has blackout curtains on the windows. For all he knows, it’s the middle of the day. 

And it’s not like it matters anyway. 

Time hasn’t mattered much since _that night. _

Nothing’s mattered much since then. 

He knows that time _is _passing because Joan bothers him constantly, trying to get him to eat, trying to get him to shower, just trying to get him to leave his room at all. They’re not very successful, he’s not going to move. 

Maybe if he lays here long enough, none of it will have happened. Maybe he’ll wake up and learn it was just a nightmare. 

_The longest fucking nightmare ever. _

~~~

_“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VEE!” Remus screeched as he belly flopped onto Virgil’s bed. _

_“REMUS! What the fuck?” Virgil yelled. He didn’t appreciate being woken up by Remus jumping on him, especially on his birthday. _

_“Happy birthday, Virgil,” Dee entered the room much more calmly than his soulmate had, an amused smirk on his face. “I tried to hold him back, but you know how he is.”_

_“What time is it?” Virgil groaned as Remus rolled off of him. There was no way he was going to be able to go back to sleep, Remus loved birthdays. _

_“Eight am,” Dee informed him. _

_“Whyyyy? We have a show tonight! Why do you have to be up so _early!?” _Virgil complained, not that he ever got enough sleep anyway. He was more than capable of staying up two days straight and still appearing to be fully functional, but it was the _principle _of the thing. _

_“Because it’s your birthday!” Remus stated, as if that was all the explanation needed to justify the early hour. _

_“We can do anything you want to do. Except go back to sleep, I don’t think Remus would stand for that.” Dee said. _

_“And I wouldn’t sit for it either!” Remus agreed. “I _might_ be persuaded to _lay _for it though.”_

_Virgil pushed him off the bed for that, but the fall didn’t bother Remus or dent his demeanor in any way. _

_“C’mon, Vee, you’re eighteen! Surely there’s something you want to do to celebrate becoming an adult!” Remus cried. “Dee can’t lose custody of you anymore! You can do anything!”_

_“We don’t have to do anything if you’d don’t want to,” Dee was quick to assure him, though he clearly also wanted Virgil to do something big for his birthday. _

_“Well… there is _one_ thing I was thinking,” Virgil admitted slowly. It wasn’t something he particularly _wanted _to do, and he didn’t think he’d enjoy it very much. But he’d like to do it once, just to say he did. _

_“Anything you want.”_

_“I want to go to the after party tonight.” Virgil never went to the after party, up until that point they’d always been careful about what Virgil and Dee did. There was always the lingering fear that Dee could get custody taken away, and none of them were really sure what would happen after that. _

_But Virgil was an adult now. It was just a party, what’s the worst that could happen?_

~~~

He doesn’t remember any of the party too well, but there are seven things he’s certain of:

  1. He was drugged
  2. Someone led him away from the party
  3. At some point, they pushed him and his back hit something (either the wall or the floor, he can’t be sure which)
  4. People had been yelling
  5. Remus talked to him (he was definitely on the floor at that point)
  6. Remus was covered in blood
  7. Dee was there at at least one of the earlier points, but he doesn’t know which ones or how many

He doesn’t know who drugged him. He doesn’t know who led him away from the party or why. He doesn’t know who had been yelling. And he doesn’t know why Remus was covered in blood, or whose blood it was. 

He was taken to the hospital. He doesn’t remember _being _taken to the hospital, just waking up in a hospital bed. By himself. 

There’s another thing he’s sure of, not because he remembers it, but because he was told. 

There was a murder. Someone died, and he very likely watched it happen. 

But he doesn’t remember. 

The cops asked him questions about the night of the party for hours, but he wasn’t a very good witness. He was drugged at the time, everything is in blurs, or flashes, or just not there at all.

He was drugged, someone led him away from the party, they pushed him into the wall or onto the floor, there was yelling, Remus was covered in blood, Dee was there at some point. 

He wishes Dee could be here now, or could have been with him at any point after the party. He wishes they never went to the party, that they could have just gone back to their hotel suite after the concert and watched Nightmare Before Christmas. If they had then Remus wouldn’t have been arrested, Dee wouldn’t be in the hospital, and some random dude would still be alive. 

And Virgil wouldn’t be lying in bed in the dark, completely unaware of the time — or even the date, because who even cares anymore? The rest of the shows on their tour were cancelled (because when one member of the band gets arrested, and another winds up in the hospital in a freaking _coma_, people don’t really expect the band to show up), so it’s not like he has to be anywhere ever. 

The only day he’s aware of is Thursdays, and that’s just because Thursdays are when the cleaning people come clean the apartment and feed Dee’s snake. The first week after _that night, _they didn’t enter his room, and they didn’t try to bother him at all. But every week after that, one lady comes in with a plate of food and bullies him into eating by yelling at him in Spanish. He doesn’t know a _lot _of Spanish, but he’s spent enough time around Remus to know all the swear words at least. After he’s successfully eaten, she’ll shoo him into the bathroom to shower while she cleans his room. 

He always feels bad afterwards. It’s not her job to be his babysitter, he should be able to do these things for himself. But that feeling is always short-lived, and come Friday, Virgil won’t leave his bed. 

Today isn’t Friday, he’s certain of that. It _might _be Thursday and the cleaning crew just hasn’t shown up yet, but then again, it might not be. Who cares? The world could have ended and Virgil still wouldn’t get up. 

They said Remus murdered someone.

Remus _admitted _to murdering someone. 

Remus _pled guilty_ to _murdering _someone. 

They tried to say that Remus drugged Virgil and beat Dee up. 

Remus said he didn’t. 

They have no proof, there were only four witnesses: the accused, the murdered, a coma patient, and some who had been roofied. 

Remus was covered in blood. 

Virgil remembers Remus being covered in blood. 

The timeline — laid out for Virgil by a condescending police officer who talked to him like he was a five-year-old — is as follows:

1:00 am - The Dark Sides arrive at the after party 

Approx. 1:30-2:00 am - Virgil’s root beer gets roofied

Approx. 2:45 am - Remus leads an inebriated Virgil away from the party, Dee follows

Approx. 2:50 am - Remus beats Dee, Atticus Jackson (a random party goer) goes to investigate a weird noise

Approx. 2:57 am - Remus beats Atticus Jackson to death for interfering

3:00 am - more party goers, after hearing the yells, go to investigate and come across the crime scene

Any and all objections Virgil had to the theory were quickly dismissed by the investigating officers. He was drugged, they said, he doesn’t know what happened. 

And maybe he can’t be _sure _what happened, but neither can they. The only points on the timeline that are certain are that The Dark Sides got to the party at one, Jackson’s time of death was clocked as around three, and party goers came across a beaten Dee, a drugged Virgil, a bloody Remus, and a dead body at three. Every other point is a guess. 

What Virgil _is_ sure of is that Remus would never hurt him, or Dee. 

Joan believes him, but they didn’t see what happened either. They lost track of all the Dark Sides around 2:30, and didn’t see any of them again until after the murder. 

Virgil wants so badly for Dee and Remus to be here. He wants to walk in on them cuddling on the couch or something gross like that. He wants Dee to try to make dinner because he likes to think he can cook but really he’s just going to burn the mac ‘n’ cheese. He wants Remus to burst into his room at two am to discuss conspiracy theories and try to convince him to dye his hair purple. He wants to spend months on a cramped tour bus as they play different venues all around the country. He wants Remus to try to convince Dee to let him write an ode to his ass while Dee threatens to hit him with a frying pan. 

He wants his stupid brother and his dumbass soulmate back. 

It’s dark, but that doesn’t mean much, the lights are off and he has blackout curtains on the windows. For all he knows, it’s the middle of the day

It doesn't matter much anyway. Dee and Remus aren’t here. 

Virgil is alone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys in the comments: I bet Remus was framed!  
Me, who knows what's going to happen: Oh you sweet summer children
> 
> Virgil is SAD and that's not really gonna change for a while... sorry
> 
> The next chapter might stick to Virgil's POV or it might go back to Roman, Patton, and Logan, I'm not sure yet so it's probably be a little longer before the next chapter gets posted
> 
> Stay Safe  
Wear a Mask  
Be an Introvert this Halloween and just watch Movies at Home (it's what I do every year)  
As the temperature goes down, COVID cases will go up because people will gather inside instead of outside so be careful  
Don't be Stupid  
VOTE!!  
Make sure you're taking care of Your Mental Health  
I'm Proud of You

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr @i-am-bitterly-jittery or @lonely-thursday


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